Update 6:30 AM – Wednesday – K6 Consulting dot com is registered in Shaun Kenney’s name. So what we find so far is that Shaun Kenney’s wife Melissa is the Principal Owner of K6 Consulting, Shaun Kenney is the owner of the Website Name yet we are told all payments to K6 consulting go to Shaun’s brother and JR Hoeft who do not appear on any of the documents I can find on the internet. This is beginning to remind me of Eric Cantor’s sneaky amendment that made insider trading illegal for Congressmen yet exempted Cantor’s wife. And it begs the question that if Shaun Kenney is not benefiting from checks written to K6, why are he and his wife even involved?

Update 10:30 PM: I did a little research on K6 Consulting LLC and found some interesting information looking up the company information. This link names a Melissa Kenney as the Principal, which is Shaun’s wife. And I assume this is where the checks go.

“Since no Democratic challenger has emerged from that party’s own primary process, the GOP primary election on June 10 will result in the next U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.

Yet with this revelation, any pretense of fairness regarding that June 10th election has been dashed.

We now ask Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins to explain how and why Shaun Kenney was appointed Executive Director.

We are also calling for an independent investigation into the financial relationship between Eric Cantor, Shaun Kenney, and the Republican Party of Virginia.” – Ed

Last night I received an email from Jim Hoeft, the founder of the Virginia Republican blog Bearing Drift. Jim is a fellow Navy Vet and he was on active duty when he started the blog. But we have known each other for several years and communicate regularly via email, as do most of Virginia’s bloggers on the right.

The email was both a bomb and a confirmation of what I had already suspected. And while I privately exchanged emails among my Conservative friends and mentioned my suspicions that, based on the content of posts on Bearing Drift, they were either suffering from an unhealthy love affair with Eric Cantor or were being paid by him.

I had considered point blank asking Hoeft if they were being paid for the puff pieces on Cantor, the puff interview with Peter Greenwald who Cantor would love to keep in the race as a spoiler, and the complete lack of the same type of posts favoring David Brat, the first serious challenge Cantor has faced.

When I published a post calling for Peter Greenwald to drop out of the race because Brat was clearly the better candidate (check the fund raising numbers if you want to see why), Shaun Kenney decided a post encouraging Greenwald to stay in was in order. And he called me out saying my post “didn’t sit right” with him on Bearing Drift. And now I know the reason it didn’t “sit right” with him is that his wallet was uncomfortably fat with Eric Cantor’s money. I am told that can be quite uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t know.

So I read this piece from Tom White over at Virginia Right over the week, and I couldn’t help but think that it just didn’t sit right. So I took the time to do a “Five Questions” interview with former U.S. Navy commander Peter Greenwald at his home in Chesterfield. What I found was that Greenwald — far from the lunatic or fanatic some are feverishly trying to paint him as — is a remarkably profound and Christian man with the courage to wear his faith on his sleeve.

But I now know that Shaun Kenney was paid to try to keep Greenwald in the race. Not only that, he completely characterizes Dave Brat as a Libertarian. Obviously Kenney has never heard Dave Brat’s stump speech. His entire campaign is built on the Republican Creed. But apparently Kenney, like Cantor has long forgotten those words. As a refresher, here is Dave Brat’s platform:

We Believe:

That the free enterprise system is the most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice, That all individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice, and opportunities and should assume their responsibilities as citizens in a free society,That fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraints must be exercised at all levels of government,That the Federal Government must preserve individual liberty by observing Constitutional limitations,That peace is best preserved through a strong national defense, That faith in God, as recognized by our Founding Fathers is essential to the moral fiber of the Nation.

And I am still waiting for Shaun to interview David Brat and post the same questions, something that Kenney wouldn’t be allowed to do as a Cantor paid shill.

But the email last night from Kenney’s fellow Bearing Drift writer took a “I know our hand will be caught in the cookie jar when Cantor’s financials are made public tomorrow, so I am going to do some damage conteol” tone. And how best to do that? Perhaps a consult with Cantor’s other ally and hired consultant Marcus-Allen. You remember Boyd Marcus, the guy that, after decades of Republican campaigns decided to jump ship and work for Terry McAuliffe in exchange for a cushy job? Well, they would advise thAt the best way to deflect guilt and blame is to blame your accusers. Hoeft wrote:

Several weeks ago, a couple of bloggers accused Virginia Line Media and Bearing Drift of coloring our writing because K6 Consulting Group, a firm that Shaun Kenney, Jason Kenney, and I all represent, is advising two congressional candidates.

In the upcoming FEC financial disclosure, you will see that K6 is indeed providing service to Del. Barbara Comstock and Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

It’s at this point that those who have an axe to grind are going to latch on and say, “See, we told you so! They’re shills!”

… (Skipping some weird reference to black helicopters and time travel)…

But the accusations that have been, and will likely be, leveled at this site and K6 are equally preposterous.

Hoeft goes on to say they are preposterous because everybody has their own clients, bla, bla, bla.

Jim, if you believe that is true, how about putting out an honest and critical post on Cantor’s slating? And tell people how in Virginia Beach, a years long outreach into the Black community promising them that they would be welcomed as Delegates to the Convention and all they had to do was show up at the mass meeting in Virginia Beach. And after disenfranchising 1,000 potential Delegates and putting their votes in 34 Cantor picked people, not a single Black was selected by Cantor. Or how about a post on Cantor’s plans for Amnesty? Or, as I mentioned, an honest interview with David Brat – who at this point would probably decline to be interviewed by Cantor employees. Or call on Cantor to debate Brat? And there is not one story on Cantor’s Amelia Island meeting with the Soros aligned money men that I have found. And if there were, the only one Cantor would approve is one calling that story a myth (like the Campbell County slating myth).

Unfortunately, if you post those kind of stories you will find that Eric Cantor no longer needs your consulting services – which are completely separate, you say. The only value you have as a consultant is in what gets written or not written on Bearing Drift. Cantor is all about controlling the message. And he has done a great job at Bearing Drift.

Norm Leahy may be the lone exception to tainted posts.

And at this point, knowing Shaun Kenney is on Cantor’s payroll, his selection to be Executive Director at the Republican Party of Virginia is clearly an unfair advantage that will cast doubts on the integrity of the Primary. We have the fox in charge of the hen house it would seem. This is a major conflict of interest and Kenney should be removed from his RPV job.

The question is, did Kenney disclose this conflict before being hired, or did Cantor simply dictate the hire? Either way, this is an incredibly stupid action for the Republican Party.

Cantor is now campaigning to retain his seat in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. Cantor’s challenger for the GOP primary on June 10 — Dave Brat — is politically on Cantor’s right, and is thus receiving national interest from conservative/Tea Party groups that are disappointed with Cantor’s record as majority leader.

The magnitude of the revelation can not be overstated: GOP voters in Virginia’s 7th District have just learned that the person appointed to manage the primary election season for the party is being paid by one of the candidates. And, in addition to the disqualification of Kenney as a fair arbiter of the primary, the financial ties obviously raise the question of whether Cantor, the most powerful Republican in Virginia, had Kenney installed as executive director.

Further, the article revealing the financial ties attempts to describe a longstanding relationship between Cantor and the partners at K6 Consulting. However, this appears to be irrelevant. Cantor’s own financial disclosures for 2013-2014 do not include any records of payments made to K6 Consulting or any other entity tied to Shaun Kenney. The article claims that the upcoming FEC financial disclosure will reveal that K6 is employed by Cantor.

Go to the link in the title above and read the rest. And some of the comments speak volumes about the utter stupidity of the RPV. One sums it up quite succinctly:

So what I am getting out of this article is that the Establishment GOP is just as sleazy and corrupt as the Democrats.

Exactly the message this sends to Virginia and the nation.

I have been a fan of Bearing Drift, contributed money and encourage others to do so, subscribed to their magazine, and done my best to promote what was once a viable alternative voice of truth and integrity that I believed was an important part of the political discussion in Virginia.

And as far as I am concerned, I can no longer trust that what I read on Bearing Drift is an honest post that has not been bought by politician’s and their money.

Several years ago it was discovered that Lowell Feld of the far left blog Blue Virginia was taking money from politicians and then suddenly, the flattering posts would appear and the ones trashing opponents would rise. I am sorry to say that this is exactly what I have seen with Bearing Drift. And it is both what is written and what is not.

And it is no secret I am supporting Dave Brat. But this is not about a candidate or even this election.

Hoeft says he got into blogging for vanity and claims everyone does. Perhaps that is why he thinks this is all OK and I do not. I have no vanity, and by the posts I have written, it is obvious that I am not out to win friends – only to influence people with the truth. Vanity would find me kissing Eric Cantor’s ring and lapping up his various party favors.

I do not “consult” with any candidate for money or favors. I do not take money for posts and with a rare ad or two I have run over the years, Google Ads are the only revenue I derive from blogging and I will tell you that the ads do not come close to covering the $174 per month Dedicated Server costs I shell out every month.

I didn’t get into blogging for fame, fortune or vanity. I am in it to provide a platform to speak my mind and that of many others. Some people find my thoughts relevant to the discussion. And that is what blogging is all about. the Mainstream Media is tainted with politics, money and agenda driven individuals who have no regard for the truth. A blog is different. It is an alternative to the corrupted spin and mindless “war on whatever” games. We are biased, but that bias is declared up front. Conservative, right wing, Democrat, Progressive. The Bearing Drift mast head bills the blog “Virginia’s Conservative Voice” yet you align yourself and accept 40 pieces of silver from Eric Cantor – the man who has openly declared war on Conservatives and the TEA Party.

I am sorry to be so harsh and honest in my feelings here. I feel that I have lost a friend and fellow voice in the sea of turmoil with these revelations about Cantor Cash.

Tom is a US Navy Veteran, owns an Insurance Agency and is currently an IT Manager for a Virginia Distributor. He has been published in American Thinker, currently writes for the Richmond Examiner as well as Virginia Right! Blog.
Tom lives in Hanover County, Va and is involved in politics at every level and is a Recovering Republican who has finally had enough of the War on Conservatives in progress with the Leadership of the GOP on a National Level.

Back circa 2009/2010, Cantor did the same thing with the Tea Party in the Richmond-metro area. He peeled off several of the most engaged activists (most stay-at-home moms, possibly looking for some extra cash) and had them work with his campaign. These were some of the first folks on the scene when the TP and 9-12 groups sprouted. How quickly their supposed-strong ties to the TP faded when a paid position with Cantor fell in their laps!

This post is truly beneath you. You owe me and all of the contributors at Bearing Drift an apology.

1.) Bearing Drift is not getting paid a dime by Eric Cantor. Neither is Shaun Kenney. We absolutely do not accept or solicit money from candidates for favorable coverage, nor do we punish those who do not advertise with us. Any claims to the contrary are both false and defamatory.

Brian, Sorry. But when the shoe fits, it fits. Cantor paid K6, right? K6 – according to JR Hoeft is himself, Jason and Shaun. The website says 25 years of experience. Unless Jason started very young, K6 is the people Hoeft said it is. I am not sure on the legal in’s and out’s of an LLC, but it is a corporate entity and has 3 primaries. You simply can’t separate the money from the owners. Good try, though.

And perhaps you missed the part where I wrote that Norm looks to be the only one reporting. The links you sent were pretty much all Norm.

But you are missing the larger point. This was disclosed hours before the information was made public. If you don’t want reputations impugned, then you need to disclose up front, not when you are about to be found out. Therein lies the lack of integrity. And seriously? Talk about impugning someone’s integrity, “quixotic campaign by a nobody” is really beneath YOU.

Cantor paid Jason Kenney. K6 is the passthrough limited liability company. Shaun is affiliated with it, but he saw zero – not one dime – of the money Cantor paid Jason. If you aren’t sure of the legal in’s and out’s you’re probably best not assuming anything, because what you’re saying is simply not factually accurate. In an LLC, you can absolutely separate the money from the owners.

For what you to be saying to be correct, money that was paid by Eric Cantor to K6 would have to find it’s way into Shaun Kenney’s pocket. None of it did. It all went to Jason.

K6 has nothing to do with Bearing Drift. Virginia Line Media LLC runs Bearing Drift. I am a co-owner, along with Shaun, Norm Leahy, and Scott Lee.

We have been disclosing up front – Jason hasn’t written about the Cantor campaign since January and Shaun hasn’t done any work for Cantor, so there was no reason for him to disclose.

My sense of right and wrong ends when somebody is spreading false statements about my business partner, harming my business and essentially saying that my website is nothing more than a bunch of paid shills.

You have zero facts to back up your lie that coverage on Bearing Drift has been bought and paid for by campaigns. I would appreciate you retracting that claim unless you have some kind of evidence to support it.

David Brat is going to lose the primary. His campaign is quixotic and he will not come close to beating Eric Cantor. Not a single credible person who watches campaigns thinks Cantor is in any trouble whatsoever.

1) I am the spokesperson for Curtis Colgate and have, I think, been very strong in my condemnation of slating and its negative impact on the party.

2) I would love to interview Dave Brat. And, knowing my interview style, it would be very professional and, I hope, informative. That said, I have never received one press release, one email, or any contact from their campaign.

3) Shaun Kenney and I have not received a dime for work with the Cantor campaign. We can quibble on this one and you’d have to see our books, which is frankly none of your business, but all of the funds from Cantor go straight to Jason.

4) I have been covering Cantor for years – and in a consistent way. Funny how this only becomes an issue now.

Jim, K6 is the three of you. The K6 website claims over 25 years experience. That would include Shaun. The checks go to K6. Your last minute disclosure was absolutely the wrong thing to do. You have a bio. You all do. If you are consulting, put it in the bio or in a post that mentions your client or his opponent.

This stinks to high heaven.

As an insurance agent, the rule is always disclose, disclose, disclose. I get that. You never get into trouble when you are up front. Ask Cuccinelli and McDonnell about that.

If you want credibility and trust, you tell people up front when there is even the appearance of a potential conflict. It is assumed that we all support candidates on the right and no disclosure is necessary unless you are taking money – or can be tied to money from one candidate.

I have always known you to be an up front and honest broker of information. And this is SO out of character for you. I have been a friend and supporter of whatever you have done as a result of the trust you have built with me. I am consistent here. Cuccinelli broke that trust failing to disclose money and I endorsed Sarvis.

When a blogger, a reporter or anyone giving an opinion is paid, the audience needs to know that. Or things tend to blow up in your face. Like this.

I am sorry it happened and I am sorry I feel that I need to hammer this. But I would expect you to do the same to me if I were being paid and failed to disclose it. But I simply won’t take money from candidates because I would feel tainted.

Tom, after many exchanges with them, I can confirm for you that the K6 crew is psychologically incapable of identifying a conflict of interest. They simply don’t believe that anything they do could possibly be a conflict, under any circumstances – as far as they’re concerned, anything regarding conflicts of interest by definition can’t apply to them.

Much respect to you Tom. As for Bearing Drift, I now consider them Bearing Adrift. Totally done with them, as I cannot trust them. Saw & felt a lot of the same things as you did. The smell test… The old gut check… What a shame. You sir are a stand up guy. I thank you.

Now you know why Cantor won\’t debate Brat; not only is Cantor bad for the 7th district and the USA but he is looking more and more like a CROOK everyday.

Shaun Kenney: Executive Director of the Republican Party of Virginia and Cantor\’s political consultant: Shaun is not involved in the money thing with Cantor. Other than the checks coming to his house and his wife cashing them.

Tom, thanks for the great blog. This information about Canter and the corruption in the GOP is all over the radio. Therefore, you’re not alone in your information. Apparently, Cantors soul has gone to the devil with George Soros. Cantor’s Amelia Island meeting with Soros is not hidden from everyone. If Soros is in your corner you are not the candidate the Republican Party should be backing. This meeting means Cantor is in Soros back pocket. Eric Cantor has gone from a great representative to a corrupt representative. Money and power has corrupted this man’s soul. The slating that was done in this state is appalling. Cantor has become an underhanded corrupt politician. Anyone that thinks that he should represent the people of the seventh district is delusional. We want a constitutional conservative not another Democrat. Cantor now thinks that we work for him and not the other way around. Not only does he not want to meet with his constituents, he ignores their demands. He thinks he can bully the tea party, the Conservatives and everyone that is patriotic. Well guess again Cantor, you’re not!

It’s amusing to watch you update this thread with “new” information that has been out there for three days now, Tom.

It doesn’t matter who registered the website – Shaun has never said he wasn’t affiliated with K6. It doesn’t matter who the registered agent is – Melissa is technically the owner and does the books. No one has ever denied that. That’s again not the point.

None of the money Cantor pays K6 goes to Shaun. It all goes to his brother. That’s the nature of the way they run their business. You aren’t going to find that in a filing or a google search. You’re going to have to take their word for it.

If you can’t do that, or you honestly think that Shaun Kenney is a RINO, or that the rest of us are all liars, you are deluding yourself.

Shaun is K6. Cantor paid K6. Did you fail logic? Only far left apologists for Republican bad behavior are unable to see that. Bob McDonnell took money from Jonnie Williams. Bad thing. Corrupt. Money. Influence. McAuliffe – Greentech. Money. corruption. That one you see because there is a D after the name. You are so blinded by party that you will never get it. Folks like you that are completely clueless on what the Republican Creed actually means don’t seem to even realize how far left you really are. Selling out the country and selling your soul to win has harmed the nation and empowered Progressives like Cantor and Obama to implement their power choke hold on America. Without the Eric Cantor Zombies like yourself who are incapable seeing the truth because power is the only thing that matters are unable to change. There is no hope for people like you Brian because you are incapable of logic and live your life in the emotion dominated world of Pelosi, Reid and people like McAuliffe. Without blind enablers like you Progressives don’t stand a chance. Look at the comments and look around the web at this story. I recognize corruption as do most rational thinking people. You do not when it comes to a Republican. You don’t get it and you never will. You will apologize for Progressive Republicans all the way until America hits the brick wall the rest of us know is coming. All the while smugly believing Cantor, Boehner and Bushes are the salvation of America. If you think John McCain, Graham and Romney are right wingers, you might be a Zombie. Those of us that have stayed anchored to the Constitution and the Republican Creed just look at you that have drifted so far to the left and shake our heads. Trying to reason with you or discuss anything is like talking to Lowell Feld. I gave up on that a long time ago. And you are a lost cause. But here is a song I wrote for people like you. I’ll send you an autographed copy if you’d like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEEZEr9MBBwTom White recently posted…Watcher’s Council Nominations – Yippee-Ki-Yay Edition

I didn’t fail logic, but apparently you know nothing about how businesses are run. What part of “Shaun never got any money from Cantor” is so hard to understand? What do you want to see, his bank statements? Money doesn’t always mean corruption and there is zero evidence of anything remotely approaching that here.

I know full well what the Republican Creed means. I wrote a piece on it just a month or so ago. Clearly, you didn’t read it.

Tom, it’s a shame to see someone I once considered a friend join so many others who have completely gone off the deep end and who seem to think that loyalty is something you just toss out like an old shoe that’s outlived it’s usefulness. I’m the same guy I have always been, fighting to get Republicans elected and trying to show the rest of the world that not I everyone in this party is crazy, You, on the other hand, can’t seem to figure out who the bad guys are, so you flail about attacking anything and everything. I am not the enemy, Shaun is not the enemy, Eric Cantor is not the enemy. I you can’t see that, well, I feel sorry for you.

And when Cantor wins reelection and you find you’ve burned every last bridge to anybody with a clue, maybe you’ll regret what you’ve done and said here. I hope so.

Eric might be able to buy the election, but he has burned all the bridges to folks who care about the constitution and the bill of rights. So if he wins, the country loses, virginians lose, and big business and crony capitalism wins.

Like I said Brian. You have drifted so far from the Conservative platform and all you care about is getting one bad left wing RINO after another elected. And you keep hoping they won’t keep spending and spending and spending. Cantor is a big government crony capitalist. He represents himself and Boehner. I have been preaching the exact same message since long before you were born. And if Cantor wins reelection I will continue to fight his liberal spending. We all thought McDonnell was a Conservative. And right up until he got the Senate, he was. And look what happened. The biggest tax and spender in Virginia history. And you RINO’s will push Amnesty through, Medicaid and Obamacare in Virginia and eventually you will wonder why your Progressive ideology failed. You are part of the problem. The solution is to return to the Republican party. We have had great success pushing the pretend Republicans like you out of the party so we can turn the country around. And yes, you and Eric Cantor are the enemy. You are a threat to liberty and big government is your weapon. I really can’t tell a nickel’s worth of difference between you and Pelosi. You share the same love of big government and party is all there is to you. And I assume you think you are doing good, but the reason the nation is in the mess it is in is not because of people like me that think government must be seriously downsized and the spending and debt is more of a threat than terrorism. Nope. The nation is in the mess it is in because of big government proponents like you.

And I am not sure what bridges you think I am burning. The only bridges you are associated with are bridges to nowhere. Or more precisely, bridges to oblivion. I will continue to grow the Conservative movement as long as I live. I will rally the troops against the King George supporters of today like you. Take a look at the makeup of the Central Committee. We are winning. We now know that Cantor is as much an enemy to liberty as Obama and his ilk. Perhaps more because he lies about his intentions.Tom White recently posted…Watcher’s Council Nominations – Yippee-Ki-Yay Edition

Pretend Republicans? Gee, Tom, how many ballots have you been on with an R behind your name?

I haven’t drifted anywhere. I am still in the same place I have always been. You seem to be defining “left wing RINO” as anybody who actually wins elections. McDonnell was no faux conservative – he did his job. Sometimes that means making tough decisions, and he deserves credit for doing the right thing, not disdain. Even Reagan raised taxes when he had to. Or did you forget that? I was alive back then, too.

There will be no Medicaid expansion, and nobody is advocating amnesty. Nobody on our side of the aisle is pushing a progressive ideology. Some of us are just trying to get things accomplished for the citizenry.

If you can’t tell a nickels worth of difference between me and Nancy Pelosi, you need to wake up and realize that you are no longer capable of rational thought. I can an count in one finger the things Pelosi and I might agree on.

The nation is in a mess because folks like you are so godawful at crafting a message that your average voter wants to hear. They hear you screaming amnesty at every immigration reform proposal and they think we’re all racists. They see you calling Eric Cantor a liberal and they think you’re insane. They see you trashing folks on your own side and they think we are all too dysfunctional to be trusted with any kind of decision making. And, frankly, sometimes I worry that they are right.

If you have been spending your whole life fighting guys like me, why haven’t you won yet? Why are things as bad as they are? Don’t you share any of the blame for that?

Listen to yourself Brian. You prove my point. You define victory as people like McCain and Graham winning. I don’t. They vote against America every chance they get. “The nation is in a mess because folks like you are so godawful at crafting a message that your average voter wants to hear.” That sentence tells folks all they need to know about you. It is about telling the people what they want to hear to get elected. And Cantor has been very good at that. A liberal (like Cantor) is someone who passes a show vote to kill Obamacare and then fully funds it. A liberal (like Cantor) pretends to vote for the Stock Act to prevent insider trading and then exempts his wife from the bill. Sort of a K6 type of deal is it not? Cantor has personally approved 10 increases in the debt limit totaling $14 trillion under his watch. If you think that is a fiscal Conservative you don’t know what you are talking about.

And did you seriously go there? “Gee, Tom, how many ballots have you been on with an R behind your name?” Well, I have never lost an election with an R after my name. How bad did you lose? 60-40 right? You went there, not me. Lol. I suppose your message of Santa Lite didn’t do so well now did it.

But you go ahead and tell yourself that you are a good Republican telling people what they want to hear. I will keep screaming the truth at the top of my lungs that this nation is in deep trouble and simply electing someone with an R after their name who tells people what they want to hear is what got us in this mess.

My message is not pretty, but it is HONEST. And I don’t give a damn who the person is, what the party is and to be honest, I neither need nor care about friendship. Fixing the country and protecting it from well meaning but “stuck on party stupid” people like you is far more important. Cantor has money, but we have people. And I don’t care how long it takes. He must go. He has burned more bridges with voters this year than I ever will. And I am not running for office. Ever.

Your fellow RINOS like Stosch and Watkins are working to bring Obamacare to Virginia. And please tell me where I talk up Ronald Reagan? He was a damn site more Conservative that many Republicans today but you don’t see me put him on a pedestal. His legend exceeds the man.

And the real racist was Eric Cantor where he disenfranchised a group of blacks that my friends had been working with for years. They finally convinced them to come to the mass meeting, be delegates and see how much Republicans wanted them in the party. They left after seeing 34 white people picked by Cantor’s folks and they were turned away by Cantor. I don’t blame them for not trusting Republicans.

And I NEVER trash people on my side. But I know full well who is and who only pretends to be on my side. We can’t hit the Democrats because you RINOs are in the line of fire. And you are turned around shooting at us with slating and placing paid shills in convenient positions. You either need to move back to the right and join us, STFU and duck so we can see the enemy, or run away. But when you turn with your backs to the enemy firing at us in the same direction as them, then you have to expect to take fire. And when you aim at me the return volley may not seem friendly, but know I plaster your ass out of love and concern for America.

I am done kissing rings and playing nice. Working within the party is useless. It is like talking to you. You can never be convinced that “crafting a message people like” is just bullshit you say to get elected. Idemand honesty, integrity and openness. Cantor won’t even debate. That ought to tell you something. I would think you would insist he debate Brat to show him how to craft the message people want to hear.

Tom, all you are doing is demonstrating that you have a fundamental lack of knowledge about how the government works. Debt ceiling bills? Raising the debt ceiling does not give anybody a blank check, and it doesn’t create one dollar worth of government spending. All of that is already done in the annual appropriations bills.

Cantor voted to increase the debt ceiling because not doing so would have been catastrophic to the economy. Nobody has any firm idea what would happen since it’s never happened in the modern era, but it would likely have crashed the economy. The Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 coupled with the increase in federal spending because of 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other things, led to the deficits. TARP added to it, but was necessary to keep the economy from tanking worse than it did. Cantor did the right thing each time. He deserves credit for that, not scorn. That’s what happens when you aren’t sitting on the sidelines, harping on ideology and you actually are responsible for having to make decisions. Not every decisions comes in a neat ideologically tied up box that you can just pick liberal or conservative on and call it a day. That’s why we have people elected to these offices, not just computers that can pick a binary 1 or 0 on every issue. Until you’ve had to sit there and make those decisions, it’s easy to criticize, especially when you don’t seem to have all of the facts or a real good grasp on the importance of the ones you do have.

Yes, I lost my race. But I lost because I ran in a Democratic area, and because I had the testicular fortitude to put myself on the ballot anyway. I ran a campaign that didn’t talk about ideology for one minute and I didn’t sling mud at my opponent. I focused on jobs and transportation, and I had support from across the ideological spectrum, including the Tea Party. I wasn’t running to play ideological games, I was running to fix problems I saw that needed fixing. But hey, don’t let facts get in the way of a good sneer. Won’t be the first time that folks who have never done that have mocked me for trying.

There is nothing open and honest about your smear campaign here. You got multiple facts wrong, which I corrected, and you let the wrong facts remain on your site. You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the ass.

All your screaming at the top of your lungs has done is a fat lot of nothing. That’s what happens when you follow the Barack Obama method of leadership – if I just yell a little bit more, maybe everyone will think I’m right and do what I want. It didn’t work for him, and it hasn’t worked for you.

Like I said, I thought you were a friend. I guess not. It won’t be the first time I’ve misjudged somebody in Virginia politics. There are far more rattlesnakes here than I thought.

There are ways to craft a message based in the Republican creed about our way of governing that doesn’t cost us seats and make us look foolish. Our message is an optimistic one, yet you just want to talk about how everything is going to hell and the country is doomed. My party is the best hope to stopping the Democrats and fixing the damage they’ve done. You don’t seem to have a party. And at the rate you’re going, you aren’t going to have any friends left either.

Brian – the more you write the more apparent it becomes that you are completely brainwashed. Approving the CR’s that Cantor has IS MORE catastrophic than shutting down the government TO THE NATION. Granted, it may be less catastrophic to him personally, but every time he approves more spending and fails to get concession and REAL cuts is proof that he is unfit to lead and only interested in remaining in power, no matter the cost. Which is now $14 trillion.

You are a member of the Charlie Crist / Boyd Marcus wing of the Republican Party. You have absolutely no concept of fiscal Conservationism that is not tainted by your desire to keep Cantor in power and his ilk. Progressives. And we can add Jeb Bush to that mix.

Are you really stupid enough to believe that a “path to citizenship” is not amnesty? That breaking out immigration laws is an act of love?

I understand it. I used to support Cantor and regurgitate his lines without actually looking beyond the desire for power and the Republican “any Republican is better than any Democrat” mentality. So Cantor promises to balance the budget, defund Obamacare and heal the planet. (Or was that his buddy Barack?)

And when I did an honest assesment of what Cantor has actually accomplished that has solved ANY of our problems – with the debt being a clear and present danger – the answer is he has absolutely zero accomplishments in 14 years. Except making himself wealthy at taxpayer’s expense.

Fortunately, I have the ability to look critically at anyone and everyone. Cantor says one thing and does another. And useful idiots like you parrot his words and ignore his deeds.

I believe it to be a version of Stockholm Syndrome. Progressives like Cantor and Obama have mastered the skill of convincing their followers that the economy is improving, that Obamacare is working, that Cantor will stop the debt or Obamacare, and that these two guys are out to help America. And they both convince their cult followers that anyone that points to the obvious truth is the enemy. That we are somehow lunatics to think that debt is a problem. And that adding more debt is somehow better than stopping the spending.

You are easily fooled, my friend. (Or former friend as you say.) And not even close to being as clever as you think you are. Had your malleable mind been molded first by an Obama Progressive you would be pushing the exact same shtick in the exact same way for Obama and Pelosi. And the sad thing is you would believe it just like you do now.

Have you ever listened to yourself and compared your vitriol – right down to the phrases – to the Obama Cult members? When I say you are absolutely like Obama and Pelosi that is what I mean. You don’t even realize that you use the same words and phrases as them. Obama and Cantor are the same. They have a slightly different repertoire because some minds are better manipulated with with certain messages. At the end of the day, Obama and Cantor are both laughing at tools like you all the way to the bank.

And Brian, the only reason to craft a message is to manipulate the intended audience. The message was “crafted” a couple of centuries ago. And there was no craftiness to it at all. It was simple truth. If you have to run things by focus groups, pollsters and advertising executives then you are only trying to fool the people.

A small central government with the powers enumerated is all we should have. There is no need to be crafty here. We did pretty well up until the Progressives came into power with the Wilson presidency. And ever since then government messages have been “crafted” to fool the people. And that is neither Republican nor Democrat.

I suppose you have not yet learned that you cannot have friends in politics. As a business owner I know you cannot become friends with your employees. You can be social, get things done and move on. But there may come a day when you need to fire that employee. I am there with Eric Cantor. He is not my friend and he never was. He is my employee.

And the same is true in any form of media. You are stuck in an erroneous assumption that just because I have met you or Shaun or Jim that we are friends. We are not. At best, we are acquaintances. I wouldn’t even use the word colleagues. Sometimes we have similar interests, sometimes we don’t. And one who points out corruption is not a snake. I have reached the point that I understand the dire circumstances we are in and I don’t care a bit in the world about political parties. Probably the only one at BD that gets that is Norm. I have always enjoyed his perspective and feel completely secure that his words are his own. Norm is a breed above. And he can’t be manipulated. He is intellectually honest. I hope he rubs off on the rest of you there.

And you seem to get way too emotional. I don’t do what I do to make friends. And I don’t care what anyone thinks about me except myself and my family. If you have a big government agenda or are compromised by Progressive mind control, you are probably not going to like me. Especially when I break the Republican rules and admit that shit is shit and it stinks. You pretend otherwise, call me names and may even believe you smell roses. Some of us know the difference. And where our beliefs align, we can share a bond that resembles friendship. But friends that bond over politics alone soon part as the tide turns.

Perhaps some day you will reach a point in your life where you can achieve that level of introspect and not care what others say or think about you. You are clearly far too emotionally involved in this. I have a completely clinical mindset when it comes to politics. I observe, I form opinions, I learn and reassess. With age comes wisdom. I have no doubt that some day you will look back on how easily you were manipulated by the Progressives. At least I hope you grow up to that point. And like I tell my kids, some day you will understand. And I hope they do.

You should really analyze your beliefs. That is a process I have been doing since I voted for Nixon. I was really sorry I had and tried to atone by voting for Carter. He was a Southerner like me, and I was active duty Navy by then and a Nuclear Power engineer like Carter. So I have a long history of being disappointed by people I put in office – no matter the party.

But I’ll be honest, I won’t lose any sleep over your repeated efforts to tell me you un-friend me in RL. You are only a political acquaintance and neither an asset nor a liability to me. And like I said, you and Nancy Pelosi are closer to one another politically than either of you are to me.

Loyalty is EARNED. Cantor has been in Congress for 14 years. Many of us have been loyal to him UNTIL RECENTLY when he’s voted wrong time and time again.

Loyalty is lost when time and time again the person fails to execute. And, you nailed it — yes, you do toss it out like a old shoe once it become useless. We are sick and tired of seeing Republicans with no spine and a complete inability to articulate very simple principles.

It’s time for new blood. And, I’m thrilled that there’s a man of principle in the game. Enough of the politicos! The focus needs to be on the welfare of our nation, not party, not control. Only our nation.

Brian,I find Eric Cantor will do anything to win. He declared war on the Teaparty and any and all outspoken conservatives. Don’t tell us he is not going to pass amnesty because he has said he wants to. Don’t tell us he did not defund the NSA. Don’t tell us that he did not defund OBAMACARE. Don’t tell us that when he enter office he was worth One million dollars and is now worth close to 12 million on a congressman’s salary. Don’t tell us that the insider trading is not benefiting his family. Don’t tell us he is not having secret meetings with the devil George Soros. Don’t tell us that the underhanded slating in VA Beach wasn’t his agenda to prevent conservatives GOP chairs from being ELECTED that did not back him. Don’t tell us he is listening to his constituents went he won’t even have town hall meetings. I could go on forever on Eric Cantor’s progressive agenda. He is a Republican RINO. IF YOUR FOR HIM, YOUR A RINO ALSO.

SAD INDEED! We are about to lose the whole damn country and the most important thing to so many brainwashed party faithful is that “we get another win for the R party” regardless if that RINO, like Cantor, turns into a dismal failure at being the firewall for the next generation.

Cantor has raised the debt ceiling 10 times in 14 years and contributed $14 Trillion of the $18 Trillion U.S. debt on the backs of our children and this bunch seems to be ok w/ that.

Mindboggling indeed.

In conjunction with being brainwashed, maybe they have something to lose?

If winning elections by selling out to K Street and engaging in Corporatism is what it means to be Republican, then I look forward to Republicans losing many, many more elections.

Tom, you will have no luck talking to Brian. It’s not that you don’t know how government works, it’s that you refuse to use their muddied language, twisted logic, and industry-tested propaganda.

Brian, the GOP may have the money right now and they may still be winning elections right now. But not for long. I’ve run out of family and friends that support you people, when ten years ago they all love Bush and Canter and McCain. Sadly it took Bush and Canter and McCain to save my friends and family from their naivety. Eyes are open now. Millions of eyes. You aren’t fooling anyone.

Romney just announced plans to serve as a “party elder” for the GOP, acting as the “anti Jim DeMint.”

“One Romney friend said he wants to be the “anti-Jim DeMint,” a reference to the former South Carolina senator and current Heritage Foundation chairman who has been a conservative kingmaker in Republican primaries.”

This captures the problem with the GOP in a nutshell!! The GOP is becoming the Democrat party, while the democrats seem the becoming the socialist party.

[…] entitled, BANANA REPUBLICANS: New Head of Virginia GOP on Eric Cantor’s Payroll. Mark Levin, VA Right, The Blaze w/Doc Thompson, SaraforAmerica and JHPolitics are just a few who are talking about it. […]